


the one where Lance saves a grumpy merman

by liddie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Boys Kissing, First Meetings, Fluff and Humor, Gen, I know nothing about surfing, Luro, M/M, accidental proposal, and it shows, chapter one features kid!Lance, mer!Kuro, merpeople magic, the second chapter is where the luro is, when Lance has grown up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-16 07:33:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14807027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liddie/pseuds/liddie
Summary: After a rough night Kuro finds himself beat up and beached on the rocks under the hot summer sun. He begs the sea goddess Calypso for the sweet release of death but gets a seven-year-old Lance instead.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *stumbles through the door at the end of mermay with this luro fic* 
> 
> I'm just gonna leave this here. the second chapter will be up in a few days. enjoy!

 

* * *

 

Kuro's breathing comes in sharp pants, each inhale dragging through his gills like broken shells. The delicate membranes flutter against his sides seeking water, trying to filter out the oxygen his lungs cannot process properly.

His body aches from head to fin, tail heavy and as unmovable as a dead whale. An array of cuts and gashes cover the mer's body from being tossed against the rocky shoreline, his tail missing a few of the sleek black scales that cover his lower half. As horrible as it is to admit, Kuro can't even lift his only hand in this state.

That old hag of a sea witch really did a number on him this time.

Laying out like this, it's only a matter of time before he asphyxiates or dies from the sun overhead. Kuro curses the seven seas when another breath offers more pain that air. Closing his eyes he wills himself to just die already and end this pointless, drawn out suffering.

It's in that moment that he hears it. A voice on the air.

Mustering what little strength he has left Kuro cranes his head a few inches, trying to ignore the throbbing pain that radiates just about everywhere as he opens one eye. Cursed sunlight assaults his senses and he groans, trying to curl his body in a way that he hopes shows the position of a dead animal that has washed ashore.

It's not really hard to act out that charade. Maybe the human will overlook him as some kind of disgusting mauled fish and leave him to die in peace.

“Is that a fish?”

Well, there goes that plan.

Kuro can feel the vibrations of the human's approach and he tenses on instinct, body locking rigidly. The thin fins along his tail flatten. The voice sounds strange in a mumbled way, but that could also be the dying thing going on. Or maybe the human is stupid and Kuro can at least have one more meal before he turns to foam or gull feed.

There's a bit of shuffling before Kuro feels a touch on his tail fin. Biting back a hiss he stays still, only the soft but useless fluttering of his gills giving him away as alive.

“Hello, fishy? Are you dead?”

Like a dead creature could even reply to that question. Slitting an eye open Kuro sees a human beside him, but it's...half the usual size. A _guppy_.

The small human has a mess of dark hair and is wearing clothing in obnoxiously bright colors that does little to help Kuro's headache. There's something in his hand and Kuro can't help the hiss that rips from him at the thought of it being some kind of weapon.

And yes, just minutes ago he _was_ praying to Calypso for death. But he'd rather suffocate than allow a human to kill him!

Startling back at the sudden sound the guppy gasps as he falls onto his behind, blue eyes wide. Kuro hisses again and bares sharp teeth, the action causing more strain than he would have thought. Even the thin membrane fins at the side of his head ache with the smallest motion.

The human and merman stare at each other for a few seconds before the guppy smiles.

Smiles!

“You're okay!” He cheers happily, getting to his feet and swinging that thing in his hand around. Kuro tries to hiss again but it comes out more like a pained breath, his body slumping against the rock like dead weight.

The small human dances around the rocky outcrop and babbles words so fast that Kuro cannot understand them all, tilting his head to the side as he looks at the bleeding wounds decorating the beached merman. He's careful to avoid stepping on Kuro's long hair splayed out across the rocks like limp seaweed.

Sending a plea to Calypso to please, _please end him now_ Kuro jolts when a warm hand touches his tail.

“But you have some ouchies.” Kuro's head swims as he tries to pick out words in the human's babbling nonsense. “It's okay, I'm gonna help.” Another gentle pat to his tail. “Good fishy. Your tail is still pretty.”

Kuro resigns himself to dying like this, slowly suffocating in the sun with a side of annoying human chatter as background noise. The guppy just _never stops talking_ and Kuro wonders if somehow humans have evolved to a point where they don't have to pause to breathe.

A warm hand pats Kuro's hip and he doesn't even have the energy to hiss anymore. His gills are already drying out so what's the point?

Closing his eyes Kuro curses Calypso for ignoring him in his time of need. Gulls are screeching overhead and Kuro barely registers the sound of a soft splash as he struggles to take in his last shaky breaths.

The warm body that leans against the back of the merman's tail has Kuro blinking his eyes open. The guppy is leaning over him and holding that strange not-weapon, a worried look on his face. He brightens upon seeing Kuro's eyes open and Kuro stares, noticing the water droplets dripping from the bottom of the thing in the guppy's hand.

It dawns on Kuro what's about to happen a second before it's too late. “Wait—” he rasps like a crashing wave but the human guppy is already tipping the tang-yellow thing and spilling seawater over Kuro's gills.

The water hits like a punch to the chest and Kuro's body jerks without control, gills flaring painfully to try and trap any of the water slipping down his sides. In the back of his mind Kuro notes that the guppy's never-ending babble has adapted a worried tone but a few seconds later more water is poured over his side and gills, causing him to inhale sharply.

The pain of dying is starting to ebb away as the taboo magic is triggered, the cuts and welts across Kuro's body slowly beginning to heal with the help of the cool water being dumped onto him. Kuro curses the guppy in broken sounds and scratchy words as his body revives but the water keeps splashing over him until he's wet from head to tailfin.

Kuro can feel himself responding to not only the water but the guppy as well. The magic flares abruptly and the merman grits his teeth, glowing eyes fixed on the tiny human that has saved his life and unknowingly activated the oldest curse of the merpeople. He watches the boy dump water over his tail in an almost gentle way, warm fingers rubbing carefully as he pours to try and clear away the dried blood. Blue eyes are narrowed in concentration and the boy's face is set with determination.

Heaviness and pain evaporate with each pass of clear water but Kuro keeps himself still. When the guppy's leg bumps into Kuro's tail the mer flexes it, the sudden motion sending the guppy toppling to the side.

Jerking upright Kuro flings his arm out and grabs the flailing human before he can fall into the water or crack his head on the rocks. Something like the shock of an eel passes between them and the guppy's eyes water, Kuro yanking his hand back.

Curling his tail closer Kuro hisses and drags himself backward across the rock, eyes never leaving the human guppy's. Golden eyes narrow and Kuro gnashes his teeth when the boy's eyes flick to the stump of his missing arm, an unspoken challenge the guppy is oblivious of. When his fingers grip the edge of the rock Kuro ignores the scraping pain of scales on rock and flops ungracefully into the sea.

Cool, clean water surrounds him and Kuro nearly chokes on the filtered air passing through his gills. His tail in strangely uncoordinated for a few seconds but then he dives, body weaving through the water until his hand buries in the soft sand at the bottom of the shallows. His long hair floats around him like a cloud and Kuro pushes it back, fingers slipping through the white shock in front and tangling in the darker strands.

“Stupid guppy,” Kuro curses as he turns his head to look up. Sure enough he can make out the human leaning over the edge of the rock, the sun outlining his shoulders and head. A tug inside Kuro's chest urges him to go back to the surface but he hisses at himself, instead twisting his body to swim circles around a coral and rock formation on the seabed. “This is unbelievable,” he grumbles to himself, magic coiling in his chest. “I can't—he's just a stupid guppy!”

It takes a good long while before Kuro begins to ascend toward the surface, looping around in wide circles although the human is no longer leaning over the side of the rock. No matter what angle he swims at he cannot see the human and so he is forced to breach the surface, the top of his head and nose coming out of the water. The fins at the side of Kuro's head twitch and small droplets of water fall back to the sea from their tips.

The human is still on the rock, legs folded and elbows resting on his knees so he can cradle his head in his hands. The tang-yellow water scoop sits beside him on the rock. When he notices Kuro he perks up with a smile. “You came back!”

It's terrible that Kuro doesn't want to rip his throat out or pull him down into the depths like his people are known to do. Instead he simply watches the guppy scoot forward and stays out of reach.

“Does fishy feel better?” There's that scrunch of the human's brow that displays concern. Being called 'fishy' grates on Kuro's nerves.

Bobbing easily in the water Kuro flicks his tail and lifts himself far enough from the water so he can speak. “You saved me.” It's more an accusation than a statement. “Why?”

“You had an ouchie,” the boy says simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “And Abuelita says that fishies need water but you didn't have any.” The guppy raises a hand and hooks a thumb back toward himself, a huge smile on his face. Kuro can see he is missing a tooth in the front. “Lance is a good helper!”

Eyeing the human for a moment longer Kuro swims a stroke closer. “What is a _Lance_?”

The boy laughs, swinging his legs over the side of the rock and dipping his toes in the sea. “Me! I'm a Lance, that's my name! L-A-N-C-E!”

Kuro ducks his head a bit and blows bubbles through his lips. 'Lance' he mouths beneath the water, watching the guppy's feet as if they could be poisonous fish.

Tilting his head to the side the guppy waves a hand toward the merman. “What's your name?”

Blowing a few more bubbles Kuro shrugs his shoulders. This makes the guppy frown and Kuro can just see the questions building inside of him so he lifts his chin above the water and blurts out... “Kuro.”

“Kuro.” Lance the guppy makes a strange face for a few seconds. “Kuro, Kuuuuuro. Kuroooooo. Kur—”

“Yes, okay stop,” the merman grumbles, flicking his tail lazily and frowning at Lance. “You're as annoying as a barnacle.”

Lance sticks his tongue out and Kuro raises an eyebrow. Humans are so very strange.

The magic curling in Kuro's chest draws him closer to the human and soon he's floating within reach. “Hey, Kuro?” Lance's voice has the merman looking up. “Will you teach me how to swim? Mama is always busy and when I ask Luis he says 'maybe later' every time.”

“What? Why would I teac—”

“Catch me!” Lance gets to his feet and jumps forward into the water, Kuro barely having time to move back so that the human won't crash into him. When the guppy doesn't surface after a few seconds Kuro sinks below the water and finds startled blue eyes and flailing limbs a few feet away.

With a sigh Kuro swims over and hooks his arm around Lance's chest, swimming him up to the surface. They break through the water and Lance gasps, both hands clinging to Kuro's arm like a lifeline. “Whoa,” he sputters, releasing one hand from Kuro to wipe at his face and push his hair back. “You're bad at catching.”

Kuro bristles, thin fins flaring in annoyance. “You shouldn't just jump into the sea like that! What made you think I would help you anyway? It'd be easier to watch you drown.”

Lance stills in his hold and soon Kuro hears sniffling. Tipping his head back Lance looks up with big, watery blue eyes. “You'd let me drown?”

“Of course not,” Kuro snaps, swimming them over to the rock and helping Lance up to sit on it. “I owe you my life,” he mutters lowly, sinking back down to his chin. He blows a few bubbles as he watches the human guppy.

“You're very grumpy,” Lance points out bluntly. “You need to smile more!” Using his fingers Lance pulls the corners of his lips up to show Kuro how to smile. “Like this, see? Now you try.”

Lifting his head above the water Kuro mimics Lance's expression, his smile filled with a predator's sharp teeth. Lance flops backward and Kuro can't help but let out a barking laugh.

“Maybe you shouldn't smile so much,” Lance amends, folding his legs in front of himself. He pushes his wet hair back and it sticks up at odd angles. He smiles at the merman. “But you sound nice when you laugh.”

Horrified by the warmth Kuro feels from the simple comment he scowls and ducks under the water. He can hear Lance calling his name so he doesn't go far, something telling him the guppy just might do something stupid like jump into the water after him.

When he does surface a moment later he sees Lance crouched as if ready to jump and his suspicions are confirmed. “Don't jump into the sea if you can't swim,” he scolds and Lance crosses his arms over his chest.

“I would know how to swim if you'd just show me!” Lance makes a face. “Pleeeeease?”

Like Kuro would ever be caught dead teaching a human—a guppy, how to swim.

“I can't,” he hears himself say and Lance's shoulders slump. Kuro curses himself and swims to the smooth slope of the rocky shoreline a little ways down. Closing his gills Kuro hauls his body up and it takes more effort than he'd like to admit, but he's not surprised when Lance wanders down the rocks toward him.

“Kuro?” Lance says as he wobbles dangerously by the edge of the rocks. This guppy is a walking disaster. How has he survived this long? “Do you have a girlfriend?”

That is definitely not a question Kuro was expecting. He frowns. “No.”

“A boyfriend?”

Grinding his teeth Kuro takes a slow breath and lets it out. “No. I have no mate. No family.”

“Maybe if you weren't so grumpy you could find one,” Lance points out, tripping on a slick part of the rock and pitching forward.

Reaching out without a second thought Kuro tugs Lance to sit in his lap, muttering how reckless he is and how someday the sea will swallow him whole. Lance makes a soft _'oomph'_ noise but makes himself comfortable, fingers tracing dark scales before turning blue eyes up to the merman.

Running his hand through his damp hair Kuro brings it toward him and uses his teeth to easily cut a few strands. Pulling a few white bits from the front of his head Kuro weaves them into a braid with some degree of difficulty due to only having one hand, sliding a small pearl of magic into the middle. “This is a charm,” Kuro says as he ties the strands off and loops it over the guppy's neck. “You must never take it off.”

Seconds later the guppy reaches for it and tugs it up so he can try and see it better, Kuro snapping his teeth in annoyance. “What did I just say?”

“Sorry, but it's really pretty.” The human is clearly anything but sorry as he tries to examine Kuro's handiwork.

Letting out a huff Kuro pulls out a few more strands and begins another braid. This he ties onto Lance's wrist in an attempted distraction. “There. Now, do not take this one off.” He taps at the necklace. “It will protect you when you are in the water, no matter where you are.”

The guppy tilts his head in thought. “Even in the bathtub?”

Kuro has no idea what a bathtub is but he doesn't let that show. “Even in the bathtub,” he confirms with a nod.

“Cool!” Lance traces the braid on his wrist, humming softly to himself. “Will it teach me to swim?”

“For the love of Calypso,” Kuro grumbles under his breath. “If I teach you how to swim, will you leave it alone and stop jumping into the sea so recklessly?”

Lance nods immediately. Lifting a hand he holds out his pinky. “Pinky promise!”

Having no idea what that means Kuro simply stares. Lance huffs and grabs at his hand, holding it up and looping his pinky around Kuro's smallest finger. “There. Now it's unbreakable.”

Kuro doubts that but he doesn't say it out loud. Instead he slides off the smooth rock and into the water, arm tight around Lance's middle. Lance squeals with laughter as they splash into the cool sea.

Helping Lance to float on his stomach Kuro offers him an arm to grip. “Move your tail up and down,” he instructs but Lance frowns.

“I don't have a tail. I have legs!”

“Oh, right.” Kuro leans in to get a look at Lance's lower half. He shrugs. “Move your legs, then. Up and down.”

Lance kicks his legs sporadically, water flying everywhere. “Like this?” He begins to sink a little.

Kuro wishes he could slide a hand down in his face. “No, not like that. You look like a drowning frog. Here, like this.”

And so the next two hours Kuro spends in the shallows with the human guppy, holding Lance's hands and showing him first how to float properly and then how to move his legs and use his arms to propel himself through the water. After a while Lance gets the hang of it and is holding onto Kuro's forearm as the merman drags him around in a wide circle.

“Look at me, Kuro! Look at me!”

“There's nothing else to look at,” Kuro mumbles under his breath but he feels a small twinge of pride from the fact that Lance is actually doing really well. Shifting his arm away Kuro watches the guppy swim through the water with only a little bit of help here and there. His skinny human arms splash through the water like gull trying to take flight and Kuro shrugs because there's no way Lance will ever be as streamline in the water as a merperson so he has to take what he can get. “Chin up,” he instructs when Lance's top half starts to sink a little.

“Right!” Leaning himself above the water Lance grins. “I'm getting good at this,” he tells Kuro. “I'm gonna be a good swimmer. I'm gonna swim across the whole ocean someday! And talk to all the fish and whales and sharks and sea turtles and—”

Reaching out Kuro places his hand on Lance's head and pushes it underwater. The blissful silence only lasts a few seconds before Lance comes up sputtering. “Hey!”

Kuro grins before ducking under the water as Lance splashes to stay afloat. When the small human begins to swim again Kuro twists his body to glide beneath the guppy, mirroring him. He swims alongside the human and is there to steady Lance when he flounders briefly. Kuro shows Lance the colorful coral beds offshore and points in the direction of the shipwrecks sitting in deeper waters.

By the end of the 'lesson' Lance can swim as well as any mer-guppy and his boundless energy is fading like the setting sun. They lay in the surf of the sandy beach nearby, the water lapping at Lance's legs and keeping Kuro's tail and gills wet.

A loud grumble breaks the silence and Lance sits up, one hand resting over his middle. “I'm hungry.”

Now that he's mentioned it, Kuro can't remember when he ate last. “Stay here,” he instructs before sliding into the water and heading toward the seabed. When he surfaces a few minutes later with an armful of oysters he sees that Lance has gathered damp sand into a strange pile and is pressing a few tiny shells into the side of it.

With his hand Kuro cracks one of the oysters open in a practiced move and offers the shell containing the slimy sea creature to Lance. “Eat.”

Intrigued, Lance abandons his sandcastle and takes the shell. He looks at Kuro. “How do I eat it? Doesn't it have to be cooked?”

Cracking his own oyster open Kuro holds the shell up and tips it back so the meat slides down his throat. Lance looks a little skeptical but follows Kuro's example, his face paling as it twists up. “That's so gross,” he groans, spitting into the sand. “Ewww!”

“Ungrateful,” Kuro grumbles as he watches Lance get to his feet and brush away the sand from his shorts. Slurping down another oyster Kuro raises a brow when Lance places his hands on his hips.

“I have to go home now,” he tells the merman and Kuro thinks maybe Calypso hasn't abandoned him after all. But then something in his chest twinges at the thought of the annoying guppy leaving. “But I had lots of fun. Thanks for teaching me to swim!”

“You—” Cutting him off Lance throws himself forward and wraps his arms around Kuro's neck.

They rock backward and almost topple in the water, Lance laughing as he rubs his cheek against the patch of soft scales on Kuro's face. He presses a kiss there and Kuro inhales sharply. “When I grow up, we're gonna get married. I promise,” the guppy says with absolute surety. “I don't care if you're grumpy. I'll love you anyway.”

The pearl of magic warms between them but before Kuro can try to push Lance away or into the sea the boy leans back with a grin. “Bye, Kuro! See you later!”

Stomach rumbling Lance hurries up the beach, turning once to wave at a stunned Kuro. The cry of a gull startles Kuro out of his shock and he abandons the rest of his dinner to slip back into the water, cheeks warm like the undersea vents.

Damn that annoying human guppy!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all mistakes are my own (and I'm sure there are lots)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the interest, comments and kudos on this story! I hope you like the second part of it :)

* * *

 

Lance sits on the polished surfboard and watches the waves rolling in. It's early yet and there are only a few other people out a bit further down the beach, Lance watching the guy in red shorts cut through the waves with his board like a knife.

The guy disappears in a crashing wave and Lance turns to look toward the beach. Hunk is supposed to meet up with him after working the breakfast rush at his parent's restaurant so Lance probably has an hour or so before he shows up.

Curling his toes in the water Lance glances back toward the open sea, fingers drumming on the slick board. Glancing down he looks at the darkened mark circling his finger and itches at it. Hopefully the new ointment he got at the pharmacy is waterproof.

More waves are rolling in and he reaches up to rub the worn pearl strung along the dark braid around his neck for a bit of luck. “Alright,” he nods to himself and shifts onto his knees. “This one's gonna be a good one, I can tell.”

Paddling out a little further Lance waits patiently for the right moment. He feels the ocean rock beneath him in that familiar way and pops up onto his feet when he feels the pull of the waves.

Angling his board downward Lance catches the wave easily, cutting through the water and keeping his balance as he rides it up and down. Reaching his hand out a bit further he lets his fingers drag through the wall of water beside him and grins as the wave tries to curl over him.

As he comes out of the barrel he catches sight of something in the water, his concentration breaking and sending him tipping to the side. Lance crashes into the wave hard, the bob and dip of the water disorienting him for a second. Holding his breath he tries to make sense of what's up and down but the blunt edge of his board comes crashing down against his head and he flounders.

Vision sparking black Lance tries not to panic, a warmth flaring up against his chest. Bubbles stream toward the surface and he tries to reorient himself to follow them, lungs burning for air.

Something brushes against his leg and the last bit of air bubbles up from between parted lips. Lance kicks his legs hard but his vision is beginning to darken at the edges.

Suddenly something wraps around his chest and Lance feels the bubbles rushing past his ears as he speeds toward the surface. Breaking through the surf he alternates between coughing and sucking in breath after breath of sweet air, reaching for the surfboard that floats beside him and pulling himself half onto it.

“I thought I told you not to jump into the sea if you can't swim.”

Sputtering, Lance clings to his board and looks up. “I can too swim...” he trails off, staring at the glowing eyes that watch him from a few feet away. The man in the water with him isn't one of the guys from further down the beach, that's for sure. His golden eyes are definitely supernatural and his long dark hair is twisted in a messy braid over one shoulder, white strands stemming from his hairline woven throughout it. He's hot, someone Lance would definitely chat up given the chance. “W-who are you?” Lance coughs, spitting more water out and glancing around for the guy's board. “Where'd you even come from?”

“Come now, _guppy_. Did you forget me so easily?”

The man smiles and Lance sees his mouthful of sharp teeth and holy shit did a serial killer just follow him into the water and save him from drowning so he could kill him some other twisted way?

“What's a serial killer?” The man asks with a frown and Lance realizes that he's said that last part out loud.

“A serial killer,” Lance exclaims, voice slightly higher than before as he tries to subtly swim backward toward the beach. “Is someone who murders people for fun, or as a hobby. Haven't you ever seen _Criminal Minds_ or heard of Jack the Ripper? That is some twisted shit and I for one want no part in whatever creepy fantasy you're trying to—”

The man reaches out and pushes Lance's head underwater. Oh god, maybe he wants to drown Lance after all?

But he doesn't hold Lance down so he comes back up easily and spits out water. “Hey!”

The man offers him an unapologetic grin. “I had a feeling that would still work. You're always so _loud_ , guppy.”

“My name isn't guppy, it's L—”

“Lance. L-A-N-C-E. Yeah, I know.” In a matter of seconds the man is beside Lance, right in the bubble of his personal space. “You've had twelve years but now I've come to collect your promise.”

Lance's voice goes high once again. “Promise? What promise?!”

Reaching out the man presses one finger to the pearl around Lance's neck and suddenly Lance's vision swims. It refocuses on a smaller version of himself standing on the beach.

 

          “ _Thanks for teaching me to swim!”_

          “ _You—” Cutting him off Lance throws himself forward and wraps his arms around the merman's neck._

_They rock backward and almost topple in the water, Lance laughing as he rubs his cheek against the patch of soft scales on the merman's cheek. He presses a kiss there and the creature inhales sharply. “When I grow up, we're gonna get married. I promise,” the guppy swears with absolute surety. “I don't care if you're grumpy. I'll love you anyway.”_

_The pearl of magic glows between them._

 

“Ehhhh??” Lance jerks himself back and drops under the water. As he kicks to surface he sees the dark scaled tail of the golden-eyed man—merperson swimming beside him. Once he breaks the surface Lance lets out another shout. “Ehhhh? I thought that was all a dream!”

“Nope.” The merman— _Kuro_ , Lance's memory supplies helpfully, swims around him in a lazy circle. Reaching out he pokes Lance in the side, then the arm. “Still skinny, but better.” He ducks under the water for a few seconds and then surfaces behind Lance. “And you still swim like a frog.”

“What?! I won the swim competition at school three years straight, thank you very much.”

Stopping in front of the human Kuro reaches up, Lance flinching when careful fingers trace the side of his forehead and temple. “You're hurt. But then again you were pretty clumsy as a guppy, too.”

“It's just a bump,” Lance waves the injury off. “We have more pressing matters at hand. Like how a mermaid is casually chatting me up about a promise of marriage I made when I was like six and _—_ ”

Lance's head is pushed under the water again. He surfaces with a scowl, pushing his hair back. “Will you stop doing that?”

A cool hand grips his wrist and Lance freezes when the merman laces their fingers together. Lance stares at their hands for a second but something else catches his attention. The dark rash around his finger is now an interlocking band of tiny, iridescent black scales the same shade as the ones on Kuro's cheeks and shoulders.

“Wha…”

“Much better, isn't it?” Kuro twists their hands and Lance sees the same ring of scales on the merman's finger. “This is the first physical sign of a mated pair's bond.”

“Whoa woah woah.” Lance tugs his hand back and clambers onto his surfboard. “Don't you think we're moving too fast? I mean, I was just a kid when I promised I'd marry you so _—_ ”

Slapping his arm onto the water Kuro splashes a wave of water into Lance's face and cuts him off. “If you revoke your promise now the sea will swallow you up without a second thought,” he warns, ducking down so only his eyes are above the water.

“Are you serious?” Lance watches Kuro nod and feels the pearl around his neck warm. Dragging his hands down his face Lance groans. “I've married a fish.”

Lifting his head Kuro spits water at the human. “I didn't exactly sign up for this, either.”

“Isn't there any way we can...” Lance trails off at the look the merman is giving him. Bending forward he rests his head against the glossy surface of his board and takes a few deep breaths. Maybe he did drown and this is some joke before he gets into heaven.

After a few seconds he feels the surfboard moving but can't bring himself to sit up, his mind whirling with all of this new information. Ugh, this is what he gets for getting up early to surf...

“Wait!” Lance sits up so fast he nearly topples off the board. “Does this mean you're going to drag me down to your weird merperson cave? Or do you live in a castle? Like in 'The Little Mermaid?' You're not a prince, are you?” Lance gives Kuro a skeptical look.

The merman snorts but doesn't reply. Lance begins to panic a bit until he notices they're getting closer to the shore. Is shallow water better for drowning someone? It wouldn't seem like it but what does Lance know about drowning someone??

“Am I ever going to see my family again? Am I going to turn into a mermaid, too? I'm a good swimmer but if I'm going to be living under the sea I'm not sure how _—mmph_!” 

Cool lips press against his own and Lance's brain short circuits, his hands limp at his sides. The pearl against his collarbone warms and there's a heat flaring from the scales around his finger, too. 

Seconds later Kuro pulls back and the surfboard is flipped, Lance flailing with a shout as he goes under. His hands hit soft sand immediately and he pushes himself up to sit, wiping the water from his face. “What the hell—Kuro!” 

Arms scoop Lance up into a bridal carry and he automatically latches onto Kuro's neck. “What _—_ you...” He looks over Kuro's shoulder and down, finding black swim shorts tight over Kuro's ass in all the right places and a pair of very nice legs where a tail used to be.

“So noisy,” Kuro grumbles, walking through the water and up onto the beach. He sets Lance down and looks at himself, his attention going to the second arm that definitely wasn't there when he was a merman.

Lance watches him twist and turn it, fingers making a fist a few times and then relaxing. It's covered in those black iridescent scales but the twisting patterns look like tattoos. Kuro grunts and then turns his golden eyes on Lance, his sclera now white like a normal human's.

“Well?” Kuro asks and Lance has to drag his eyes away from his broad chest. “Is this sufficient for you? Better than living forever in my undersea cave?” There's a teasing lit to his voice.

Nodding Lance tries to find his voice again. “Yep, definitely better,” he wheezes out embarrassingly. Waving a hand in Kuro's direction Lance tries not to blush. “You look good. Very human, I mean. With arms and legs, you know...”

Kuro grins and Lance notices his canine teeth are slightly more pointed than a normal human's. His heartbeat sounds way too loud in his chest.

“Can you turn back?” Lance finds himself asking when Kuro looks down at his toes buried in the sand.

Dragging his head up Kuro looks at Lance. “Does it matter?”

Shifting from one foot to the other Lance looks away but nods. “Well, yeah. You don't always want to be human, right? Won't you miss being a mermaid?”

A smile tugs at Kuro's lips and he takes a step closer to Lance. “Why? Will _you_ miss me being a mermaid?”

Lance makes a face and Kuro slides his arms around the human teen's neck, pressing their chests together as he kisses Lance. A heavy weight drags Lance down into the sand and he blinks up at the merman resting against his chest. “Better?”

Lifting his head Lance looks over Kuro's shoulder and sees his tail flicking in the surf. “Huh,” he says, hands resting on Kuro's hips where scales meet skin. “Is this gonna happen every time you kiss me?”

Ignoring the question Kuro looks down at Lance. “Are you afraid?”

Lance shakes his head. “No, but then again I think I'm just dreaming all this up.”

“You're in for a rude awakening.”

A laugh escapes Lance and he rests his head against the sand, wondering if it's weird that Kuro's warm weight feels so right against him. A few seconds later he hears someone call his name and he shoots up to sit, forcing Kuro to slide down and faceplant in his lap.

“Oh my god,” Lance squeaks and pushes at Kuro's shoulders. The merman rolls over as Lance hurriedly looks behind himself, spotting Hunk coming down from the parking area. “Oh shit.”

“Are you nervous to introduce me as your intended?” Kuro is sitting up in the sand beside Lance, his tail replaced with those toned legs once more. There's sand in his hair and on his cheek and Lance can't help but reach out and brush it away.

“You're not my intended,” Lance says quickly, waving off Kuro's frown. “Boyfriend,” he says suddenly. “We're gonna use boyfriend. We're boyfriends. Secret boyfriends, until now.” He nods to himself. A solid story.

Kuro narrows his eyes as he watches Lance get to his feet. “ _Boyfriend_ is awfully casual for being a mated pair.” He stands up and brushes the sand from his shorts.

Whipping around Lance gives Kuro a pleading look. “Please, just go with it. Until we figure all this out, can't we be boyfriends?”

Grumbling to himself Kuro eventually nods.

“Great!” Lance grabs Kuro's hand and laces their fingers as Hunk gets closer. “We can talk about it later, okay? Just follow my lead.” He smiles at Kuro and nearly falls over when he sees the light blush on Kuro's cheeks.

“Whatever,” Kuro grumbles, looking away. He pitches forward when Lance tugs him along toward Hunk.

They have _a lot_ to talk about later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end! thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr - [[kuroshiroganee]](http://kuroshiroganee.tumblr.com/)


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